


Kismet

by pinktini



Category: Black Dagger Brotherhood - J. R. Ward
Genre: Action, F/M, One Shot, Pre-Canon, Pre-Dark Lover, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-21
Updated: 2013-02-21
Packaged: 2017-11-30 00:48:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/693448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinktini/pseuds/pinktini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Xhex let out a short laugh. Of all the times she could run into a Brother, this was just about the worst." - What if Xhex and Darius had unknowingly run into each other sometime before the start of the series?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kismet

**Author's Note:**

> All my thanks go to Macy ([ArsenicInYourPudding](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ArsenicInYourPudding/pseuds/ArsenicInYourPudding)) and Jaimie ([sweetlullaby](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetlullaby/pseuds/sweetlullaby)) for their proofreading help and invaluable writing advice. 
> 
> Apologies for any errors I may have made post-beta. No profit is made off of this one-shot. I own nothing.

**_New York City, late 1960's_**

Having made a name for herself as a mercenary in the underground, Xhex had quickly become highly recommended in one particular field: assassinations. While she had enough clients in the Old Country to keep her busy, she had grown tired of the monotony over the many years. So it was time to take her entrepreneur spirit stateside. _Hello, New York._

Xhex tucked back errant strands of her shoulder length hair behind her ear. The mousey brown wig was surprisingly comfortable, if not a bit unusual to have on. She had been cutting her hair short for the last few decades, which made the wigs all the more easier to wear.

“So it’s your first time in New York?” the human male who had introduced himself as ‘Luke’ asked as they walked toward the back of the sports bar.

“Yep,” Xhex forced a smile, tearing herself away from her thoughts. Of all the lies she had and will be telling tonight, this was, in fact, the truth.

“I’d be happy to show you around sometime,” Luke smiled.

If Xhex had more time, she’d ply him for more information. There were at least two other mercenary groups gunning for Luke’s boss, and if her intel was correct, one of them included a pair of Moors. But there wasn’t enough time for it. She raised a brow at Luke before shaking her head.

“I thought you wanted to find some place more private?” Xhex reminded him, needing to get her plans back on track.

His eyes gleamed with arousal. “Well then, lead the way, sweetheart.”

Without waiting for him to follow, she continued to the back, her boots stomping on discarded peanut shells on the bar’s worn hardwood floors. As they walked down a dingy back hallway, Xhex walked past a pair of bathroom doors. She couldn’t have anyone walking in on them, not for what she had planned.

“You know where we’re going?” Luke asked skeptically as he walked ahead of her.

“Nope,” she replied, testing an unmarked door a couple steps down. Locked.

Up ahead, she heard Luke push open a door.

“How ‘bout we get some fresh air?” He asked.

Xhex turned and found him standing by the back exit, making it all too easy for her. She grinned, “Sure.”

They made their way outside into a back alley and walked far enough away from prying eyes. It had been raining earlier in the day; the still wet pavement reflecting the sparse lighting of the back alley. The sports bar shared the alley with various other food establishments; each owning a dumpster that contributed to an overall unpleasant stench. How romantic.

“Never done it in an alley before,” he said as he stepped toward her, slowly backing her up the side of the building.

In one fluid motion, Xhex flipped their positions, his front pressed against the brick wall and his arms twisted at his back.

“Unfortunately for you, this isn’t my first time,” she muttered.

An overwhelming sense of restlessness overcame her, threatening her focus. She had been in this mecernary game for too long. Maybe she had needed more than a chance of scenery, maybe she needed to start an entirely new life.

Xhex steeled herself, tightening her hold on his arms. “Now, I’m going to ask you some questions. How quickly and truthfully you answer them will have a direct effect on whether you live to see tomorrow morning. Understand?”

Luke nodded as best he could with the side of his face pressed against the brick wall.

“Is your boss Anthony Fiore?”

His eyes widened at the mention of his employer. “How—“

“I’ll take that as yes. Now where is he?”

“Are you crazy, bitch? He’ll kill me,” he spat out.

“How can he kill you, if you’re already dead?” Xhex asked as she pressed the edge of her knife she had kept tucked in her boot to his cheek. “Tell me where he is and I’ll give you a head start out of the city.”

Luke kept his mouth shut, which was a testament to his loyalty, except his eyes did all the talking as they glanced over to building at the end of the alley. From what she could tell, it looked to be a nightclub. The back entrance had an open patio and there were patrons outside, socializing and enjoying a cigarette or two.

She twisted his arm, making him wince. “You expecting company?”

His grid lit up with panic. _Jackpot_.

“Is Fiore supposed to show up tonight?” Xhex smirked. “Well, lucky me.”

“HEY!” an alarmed voice called out. From the back entrance of the sports bar, another human male emerged.

“Friend of yours?” Xhex scowled at the uninvited newcomer.

Luke took advantage of her being distracted. He twisted around and fought for the knife. In the split second Xhex had heard the click of the gun’s hammer, she let go of Luke and dove behind a dumpster.

“She’s after Fiore!” Luke yelled.

His friend took his cue, lowering the gun and started running for the patio of the nightclub, with Luke not far behind him. Their footsteps pounded down the wet pavement, quickly getting further and further away.

Cursing to herself, Xhex gave chase, catching Luke easily, her fingers digging into his shoulder, flipping him onto his back with a sweep of her leg. Crouching over Luke and winding her fist back, she swung down, her fist cracking him in the temple, knocking him out cold.

Not wasting any more time, she ran after the other male, getting a glance of his back retreating into the club.

+++

 

Xhex had raced through the back patio and into the dark hallway of the nightclub. Colored fluorescent lights lined where the walls met the ceiling, illuminating the hallways in splashes of purple and blue. The bass coming from the heart of the club reverberated along the walls. 

Dodging past club-goers in various stages of intoxication, Xhex followed the trail the idiot human was leaving as he knocked into everyone. He had pushed and shoved his way out into the main area of the club.

 _Motherfucker was going to squeal_. She’d lose her chance to take Fiore out.

The nightclub was big, from what she could tell. There were lots of bodies. She picked up on many human grids…and to her surprise, some not-so-human minds as well. Her sympath abilities stretched out into the club, picking up on rampant hormones and moods, putting her even more on edge.

Turning the corner, Xhex ran straight into a brunette-haired woman. She was human, Xhex realized. But there was a trace of a familiar scent on her.

“Whoa there!” The brunette laughed, reaching out to steady herself.

Xhex caught the woman and righted her. “Sorry,” she muttered, casually taking another sniff of the air around the human.

 _Fucking hell, the human was involved with a vampire_. Inhaling deeper, Xhex was a relieved to find it wasn’t a bonding scent on the woman.

Xhex pulled away and stepped back, before turning to check for any trouble behind her. The human was fine, but it still unsettled Xhex. She needed to steer clear of any overprotective male.

“I heard a commotion. Is everything alright?” A deep voice came from the opening to the main area of the club.

Speak of the devil and he will appear. Xhex froze upon first sight of the male and felt this odd pressure in her chest.

The male was huge. And while his size was imposing, he looked the part of a well-dressed businessman, filling out a well-tailored dark suit. His crisp white dress shirt underneath was unbuttoned. With his dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and good looks, he may very well have walked off the set of a James Bond film.

The human woman smiled warmly up at the male. “We weren’t watching where we were going—oh, miss? You’re bleeding.”

Xhex looked down and realized in her struggle with Luke, the son-of-bitch must have managed to nick her forearm. Eyeing the hole in her leather jacket, she pushed up the sleeve to reveal a three-inch wide graze.

The male’s nostrils flared as he took in the scent of her blood.

Shit. Xhex really didn’t need any more complications, least of all with a vampire. And this one looked like he could be trouble. The scent of her blood was no doubt confirming she was one of his kind. Well, she was only half of one, but he didn’t need to know that.

The male took a step closer to the human, but kept his eyes on Xhex, his expression remained impressively neutral. “Are you in trouble, female?”

They both knew there weren’t any lessers nearby. And she couldn’t very well tell him she was here to assassinate a human.

Xhex waved her hand, trying to play it off. “I’m fine. It was just misunderstanding. If you’ll excuse—“

“Someone misunderstood you, so they ran a knife through your arm?” He raised a dark brow at her.

She shifted impatiently, trying and get a view of the club over the male's shoulders. When that proved useless, she glanced behind her, checking for any more of Fiore's men. Time was running out and the male was so overreacting.

“From whom are you hiding?” His voice cut through the noise of the club, dark and grim, compelling her to look at him.

For a split second, their gaze locked, but neither spoke a word. There was something about this guy that just unbalanced her. Her eyes caught and followed the movement of his hand. It moved to push back the lapel of his black sports jacket.

 _Son of bitch._ Not only was the male armed, she recognized his high-end leather holster. He was packing a pair of revolvers and _nine inches_ of dark, twin-fucking-steel.

Xhex let out a short laugh. Of all the times she could run into a Brother, this was just about the worst.

“Look, seriously, I can take care of myself,” Xhex said. “But it would be in _your human’s_ best interest to just walk away.”

Her tone turned deadly, hoping he would get a clue. She didn’t have time for the Brother to play hero. She tried to dart past him, but he didn’t budge.

“Get the hell out of—“

“What is your name?” He looked down at her curiously, his gaze searching her face.

The human woman shrank behind the male, gripping his forearm in a silent plea to go, watching Xhex with wary eyes.

“I don’t have time for this,” Xhex murmured. Her fists clenching at her side as she made an unladylike growl. She tried again to get past them again. But the Brother mirrored her movement, bringing her within inches of his broad chest.

“Back off,” Xhex growled, her eyes darkening. While the threat got through to the human, it clearly didn’t scare the Brother.

Before she could figure a way around the warrior, a gunshot rang out inside the club, followed by a chorus of screaming and throngs of people trying to get to safety.

“Stay by me!” The Brother shouted, grabbing the human by the wrist, the other hand going for one of his revolvers.

As Xhex tried dodging past them, his grip dug into her arm, pulling her to him. Apparently, he meant the order for her as well. _Yeah, right_.

She knocked into him with her shoulder, shoving him back against the wall. In the same motion, she pulled one of his daggers out and pressed tip of the blade on the spot right over his heart. That showed him for underestimating her. The look on his face was priceless—he was stunned speechless.

“I said, back off!” she growled in his ear.

The Brother let go of her arm, his touch unnerved Xhex more than it should have. She really did not want it to come to this, attacking a Brother wasn’t something one could do without severe consequences. But her plan was falling to pieces and she was desperate.

She embedded the dagger into the wall by his head before pulling her own hardware out of the waistband across the small of her back. Brandishing the semi-automatic Beretta, she flipped the safety off.

“Don’t follow me,” Xhex ordered, glaring at the Brother.

He looked taken aback, but amused all the same. She eyed the woman behind him and he followed her gaze. With him distracted, she ran out into the chaos of the club.

Shoving her way through the panicking crowd, she heard more gun shots before arriving at the VIP section. Luke’s buddy had attempted to alert his boss as Xhex had expected. But he didn’t get very far. The poor bastard was lying in a pool of his own blood on the way up the steps.

Frantically, Xhex surveyed the scene around her and caught a pair of mean-looking Moors fleeing the VIP section, leaving behind Fiore’s limp body slouched over in a nearby booth. She was surprised to see them in New York, let alone working as assassins. One of the Shadows had a shit-eating grin on his face as he flipped her the bird right before she had lost sight of him.

+++

 

Xhex stood atop the roof of a building across the street from the club, watching first responders milling around in front of the club. As paramedics tended to the injured, NYPD cops interviewed the eyewitnesses. Fire trucks sat at both ends of the street, effectively blocking any news vans trying to be the first on the scene.

The coroner’s report would mention Anthony Fiore’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. It would also mention the post-mortem removal of both of his hands. The hacked off hands and numerous news reports would be enough to collect the bounty.

Jaw clenching, Xhex rolled her stiff shoulders as she stepped back from the ledge. _What a fuck up of a night_.

There was one person she was more than happy to place all the blame on for the failed hit job. And the asshole had the nerve to follow her. Xhex sensed his presence the moment he dematerialized behind her. She turned and glared at him.

He looked just as she had left him, if not a bit disheveled. He wasn’t visibly armed, but she wasn’t going to let her guard down.

“You owe me fifty-thousand dollars,” she drawled.

The Brother smirked. He studied her a moment before taking a step forward. “You’re an assassin, I presume?”

Her body tensed as she measured the distance between them. “Presume away.”

“Fair enough.” His gaze was glued to her face as if he was studying her. “I wouldn’t admit to being a criminal either. You’re from the Old Country?”

Xhex averted her steel grey eyes away from his curious gaze. She shifted, the need to flee itching its way down her spine and to her legs. “Some would say I was crazy to have left. All of the rumors I’ve heard about your absent king are true.”

“The Brotherhood and glymera have control of the race and it’s enough for now,” he sounded robotic as he dropped the party line on her. 

The male took another step toward her, but he still didn’t arm himself. Was he so certain he could overpower her?

Her hand inched for her gun as she rolled her eyes. “Can we cut to the chase? Are you here to arrest me or what?”

“You know I have to take you in. We can’t have our own attacking humans, however large the price on their heads may seem.”

Xhex pretended to think about it before she pulled out her Beretta. “Hm. I’m going to have to disagree.”

She could care less about threatening the vampire's rule of secrecy from the humans, she'd been working in and out of the human's presence for years.

The Brother narrowed his deep-blue eyes on her as he reached for one of his revolvers. His dark brow furrowed with a flicker of frustration.

“Who are you?” He murmured, looking as if he was lost in his own train of thought.

“Alex,” Xhex announced, using her alias. “And I’d be lying if I said it’s been a pleasure.”

And with that, she gave him a mock salute before dematerializing back to the hotel she had checked into in Manhattan.

In one of the few times she allowed for frivolity, she got herself a spanking hotel suite. Hell, it was her first time in New York. If anything she had earned it.

She stopped by the fully stocked bar in the main room and poured herself a glass of whiskey. Downing the drink, she refilled the empty glass before shucking off her jacket, tossing it over the bar counter.

Walking over to the floor to ceiling windows, Xhex looked out into the bustling city. From her vantage up on the 24th floor, she could almost enjoy the view of the night skyline. Resting her temple against the glass, she prayed she wouldn’t have to run into another member of the Brotherhood. Never again would still be too soon.

  


\+ End +

**Author's Note:**

> As you can see, I made many assumptions as to Xhex's and Darius' pasts and whereabouts. Also, if you picked up on it, the _Shadows/Moors_ who got to Fiore would indeed be Trez and iAm. Thanks for reading!


End file.
